Wire twisting or splicing machine.



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I T. DAVITT. WIRE TWISTING 0R SPLIQING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1913.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914,

abhozuug COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH c0., WASHINGTON, u. c.

T. DAVITT.

WIRE TWISTING 0R SPLIGING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1913.

Y Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

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1/ 1 o a? I COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. u. c.

T. DAVITT.

WIRE TWISTING 0R SPLIOING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. s, 1913.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

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COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH Co., WASHINGTON, D. :4

THOMAS DAVITT, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

VIBE TWIS'IING OR SPLICING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Serial No. 759,701.

LQQQSMZS, Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1913.

12 are adapted to be driven simultaneously in opposite directions atuniform rates of speed. The shafts 11 and 12 are also pro vided withspur gears 16 and 17, which in turn communicate motion to spur gears 18and 19. The gears 18 and 19 are each provided with a radial slot 20*,and supported by the frame and arranged to partially inclose each set ofgears 16 and 18 and 17 and splicing or intertwisting the ends of wires,1 are Pairs of companion guards 20 and 21, the object of the inventionbeing to provide t PYOXilTlate pp r dge f Which are a1' a machine ofthis character whereby the r nged t0 diverge, as at 22, to permit of theoperation of splicing th nd of wi ay insertion and removal of the wireswithin be easily, conveniently and rapidly carried and from the slots20* of the gears 18 and out and a permanently strong splice pro- 19, andthe slots in the coacting twister duced. I v shafts and twister heads,as hereinafter A further object of the invention is to profullydescribed. The gears 18 and 19 ar vide a novel construction of twistershaft the parts of bifurcated and twister head for machines of thecharacter described, whereby simplicity and efliciency of action issecured.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a wire splicing or twisting machine embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of themachine. Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical transverse sections on the lines 44and 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail transverse section through one ofthe rocker arms, twister shaft and connecting parts. Fig. 7 is aperspective view of one of the twister shafts and its twister head.Figs. 8 and 9 are views illustrating the character of splice made.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a suitable base, from whichrises a column 2 carrying a supporting frame 3. Journaled in suitablebearings on this frame is a transverse shaft 4, provided with a crankhandle 5 or other means for applying power theretor On this shaft is aspur driving pinion 6 meshing with a spur transmission gear 7 withtransmission or countershaft 8, on which shaft 8 is also mounted anactuating cam 9.

Journaled in suitable bearings 10 on the frame, at opposite sides of thetransverse center thereof, are longitudinally extending twister drivingshafts 11 and 12, which carry at their inner ends bevel pinions 13 and14 meshing with a bevel drive pinion'15 on the shaft 4, whereby saidshafts 11 and To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMASDAVITT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in thecounty of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful1mprovements in Wire Twisting or Splicing Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for disposed between bearings 23, inwhich are journaled longitudinally extending twister shafts 24 and 25,said shafts being slidably and rotatably mounted in said bearings, andeach shaft having a longitudinally extending slot 26 registering withthe slot 20 in the associated gear 18 or 19. Each twister shaft is alsorovided at its inner end with a longitudinally slotted twister head 26provided with a twister hook 27, said head being secured to the shaft bya set screw 28. The gears 18 and 19 are held from longitudinal slidingmovements with the twister shafts by the bifurcated bearings 23, but arefeathered to the shafts for rotation therewith, so that when power isapplied to rotate said gears the twister shafts will be simultaneouslyrotated.

The cam 9 is provided with a recessed or depressed portion 29 andperipherally engages a friction roller 30 on a longitudinally movableactuating bar or lever 31. The opposite ends of this actuating bar orlever are pivotally connected with rocker arms 32 and 33 fulcrumedrespectively to bracket members 34 and 35. The actuating bar ispivotally coupled to the rocker arm 32 at a point intermediate thelength of the latter, said rocker arm 32 being pivotally connected atits lower end with the bracket 34, while the opposite end of theactuating bar is pivotally coupled to the lower end of the rocker arm33, which is fulcrumed intermediate its length to the bracket 35,whereby when said actuating bar is moved longitudinally in eitherdirection the upper ends of the rocker arms will be simultaneously movedin opposite directions. A coiled spring 36 connects one end of theactuating bar to the frame 3 and maintains the actuating bar in normalor retracted position, in which position of said bar the friction roller30 is engaged with the recessed portion of the cam and the twistershafts are disposed in retracted position.

The outer end of each twister shaft carries an annularly grooved slottedthrust collar 37 between the flanges of which are arranged diametricallydisposed thrust blocks 38, which are pivotally mounted upon the upperfork ends of the rocker arms, whereby a proper longitudinal movement maybe imparted from each rocker arm to the associated twister shaft, whilethe rocker arm is permitted to swing in its prescribed arc, and at thesame time the shaft is permittedto have rotary terference from therocker arm.

t a point centrally of the frame and between the respective twisterheads is arranged an upright 39 supporting a wire clamping deviceembodying fixed and sliding clamping jaws 40 and 41, the jaw 41 beingmovable in and out by means of a screw shaft 42 provided with anactuating hand wheel 43.

In operation, assuming the parts of the apparatus to be in normal orreceiving position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the ends of the wire 44and 45 are laid longitudinally in the slots of the twisters and betweenthe jaws of the clamping device, the extremities of the opposite wiresbeing disposed to terminate in proximity to the hooks of the respectivetwisters so as to be engaged thereby. lVhen the wires to be spliced arethus arranged, the hand wheel 43 is operated to adjust the movableclamping jaw and clamp the wires at a point intermediate the pointswhere the overlapping ends thereof are to be twisted or spliced, afterwhich the crank 5 or other driving element is set into action. Therotation of the crank wheel, it is evident, causes the shafts l1 and 12to be simultaneously driven in opposite directions at uniform speeds,and motion to be transmitted therefrom to the twister shafts, which willthus be rotated. At the same time the cam 9 will be actuated through theintervening gearing in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1, thusactuating the rocker arms to move the twister shafts inwardly. Thetwister shafts will thus be simultaneous y rotated and moved inwardlyuntil the twister hooks come in close proximity to the clamped portionsof the wire, the hooks serving to engage and twist the free ends of thewire in opposite directions about the body of the wire, thus splicing orintertwisting the ends of the wire firmly and securely together. Thegearing between the main drive shaft and twister shafts and said maindrive shaft and the cam driving shaft motion without inis soproportioned that the twister shafts are rapidly revolved during theirentire inward motion, during which the wires are intertwisted, whichaction is completed at the time the cam has made one complete revolutionand the recessed portion thereof again comes into contact with thefriction roller 29, whereupon the spring 36, which has been expanded bythe forward motion of the actuating bar, contracts and restores said barto normal position, thus at the same time drawing the twister shaftsoutwardly to normal position, ready for a repetition of the operationabove described. On the restoration of the twister shafts to normalposition, the slots therein are again upwardly disposed, so that thespliced wires may be lifted out and new wires inserted to be splicedtogether.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that my inventionprovides a wire splicing or twisting construction, inexpensive ofadapted to be easily, conveniently and rap.- idly operated, and that inaction the twister hooks as they feed along the wire will twist the freeends of the wire closely and compactly about the body of the wire, thusforming a permanently secure splice.

I claim 1. In a wire splicing machine, the combination of a wireclamping device, longidevice which is simple of production, and ptudinally slotted twisters on opposite sides thereof, cam controlledmechanism for sliding said twisters toward and from said clampingdevice, and gearing for actuating said cam mechanism and for rotatingsaid twisters on their inward movement.

2. In a wire splicing machine, the combination of a wire clamping means,longitudinally slotted, slidable and rotary twisters on opposite sidesthereof, rocker arms for sliding said twisters, a connection betweensaid rocker arms, cam mechanism acting on said connection for slidingthe twisters, inwardly, and cam mechanism and simultaneously rotatingsaid twisters.

3. In a wire splicing machine, the combination of a wire clampingdevice, longitudinally slotted slidable and rotatable twisters onopposite sides thereof, rocker arms for sliding said twisters, aconnection between the rocker arms, spring means for holding andreturning the rockerarms and twisters in normal position, cam mechanismacting on said connection for actuating the rocker arms to move thetwisters inwardly, and gearing for operating said cam mechanism andimparting rotary motion to the twisters.

4. In a wire splicing machine, the combination of a wire clampingdevice, longitudinally slotted rotary and slidingtwisters on oppositesides thereof, gearing for simultaneously rotating said twisters in 0posite directions, and cam-controlled mec anism controlled by saidgearing for sliding the twisters inwardly and outwardly.

5. In a wire splicing machine, the combination of a wire clampingdevice, longitudinally slotted rotary and sliding twisters on oppositesides thereof, a drive shaft, gearing for rotating said twisters inopposite directions from said shaft, automatically retractable meanscouphng the twisters for Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the simultaneous inward and outward motion,and cam mechanism driven from said shaft and adapted to control saidcoupling means to slide the twisters inwardly and permlt of theirretraction at t ed intervals.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS DAVITT. Witnesses:

H. O. HARRIS, C. P. LYNES.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0.

